Mail Drop Loop

Trail Description

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The Mail Drop Loop is a popular ride on the Tri-State ATV Jamboree. The ride starts 4 miles from the Coral Pink Sand Dunes on Coral Pink Sand Dunes Road (County Road 43), and heads north past Elephant Butte.

When you are nearing the Elephant Gap (due east of Elephant Butte) you can see where it got its name: the south end of the hill looks just like an elephant, trunk and all.

The ride is mostly sandy trails winding through the sage brush and junipers, with a few sections of sandstone.

Half way through the ride you reach The Beehives, which is a great lunch spot. Not surprisingly they are shaped like giant sandstone beehives.

Just past The Beehives (assuming you are going counter-clockwise) there is a side trail that takes you to the actual Mail Drop. You can't ride your ATV right to it (and please don't try), but you can get within 100 feet or so. This is where mail was lowered over the cliff and down a cable to the valley bottom over 300 feet below. Standing at the top of the cliff and looking down is overpowering. You can look right down the canyon to Rockville and Springdale below.

Until relatively recently the pulley was still there, attached to a large tree, but it was removed by some idiot that values rusty metal more than history.

This is a well-known, popular ride, and for good reasons: It is gorgeous, fun, has great history, and is close to Coral Pink Sand Dunes.